Group to vote on Fallbrook sidewalk projects

FALLBROOK -- A local advisory group's sub-committee meets Monday
to vote on a proposal to install sidewalks on Fallbrook Street,
which will also include improvements of the roadway, county
officials say.

The circulation sub-committee of the Fallbrook Community
Planning Group is scheduled to vote on the sidewalks, but must
first decide on how the pedestrian pathways will be designed around
existing power poles that line the street.

County Department of Public Works project manager Steve Ron will
be making a presentation on the department's sidewalk project for
Fallbrook Street between Heald Lane and Alturas Road, a section of
the road without a current sidewalk.

The sub-committee makes traffic-related recommendations on
projects to the planning group. The planning group makes land-use
project recommendations to the county board of supervisors.

"There has to be a solution to this before Steve can move
ahead," said sub-committee chair Harry Christiansen. "Hopefully, we
can come to a consensus and get the sidewalks built."

Christiansen said one of two designs has to be selected before
Ron can move forward with the project, which is to move the poles
closer to the curb or install the pathways behind the poles.

The sidewalk project is estimated to cost about $965,000, Ron
said.

Most of the money will come from federal Community Development
Block Grant funds.

Ron said improvement of the roadway itself, along with the
construction of sidewalks will occur adding the great expense to
the project.

"Once we touch the sidewalk, we're touching the road and once we
touch the road, we're compelled to improve it," he said. Ron said
widening the roadway along with upgrading the asphalt is among ways
the roadway could be improved.

Also during the meeting, Ron will be making a presentation on a
proposal to make road improvements on Stage Coach Lane designed to
ease morning school commuter traffic jams.

Ron said a left turn lane would be built to allow a through lane
to carry traffic out of the congested area faster. Ron said should
the project be approved and begun soon, the road improvements could
be finished by 2003 or 2004.

The proposed project would be funded by the county Department of
Public Works, Ron said.

"Traffic in the morning is mostly the traffic going to East
Mission Road," said Ron. "So we want to get that traffic moving
through the area faster."